TRUTH BE TOLD

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Homeland Security Subcommittee Holds Hearing On UAV Use In NAS

Nearly 60 Private And Government Entities Authorized To Operate Drones

The Homeland Security Subcommittee on Oversight, Investigations,
and Management, chaired by Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX), held a hearing
Thursday entitled “Using Unmanned Aerial Systems Within the Homeland:
Security Game Changer?” on Capitol Hill.

According to a committee news release, unmanned aerial systems
(UAS) have enhanced the surveillance capabilities for military
operations abroad and have increasingly been used for homeland security.
As of June 2012, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has
authorized nearly 60 private and government entities to operate UASs in
domestic airspace. The authorized entities include Federal, State and
local law enforcement and academic institutions.

Chairman McCaul said in a statement that the hearing was called to
examine the benefits and challenges to increased domestic use of UASs.

“Unmanned aerial systems, commonly referred to as ‘drones’, have
been a force multiplier in our military operations abroad and along our
borders," he said in the news release. "These systems are now being used
in the United States by law enforcement, government agencies and even
academic institutions. Some Americans worry such systems will become
invasive ‘eyes-in-the-sky’. Others say domestic drones will eventually
be armed. However, no Federal agency is taking responsibility for
creating comprehensive policies and regulations concerning the use of
these systems domestically. Additionally, vulnerabilities to ‘drone’
hackers exist, as recently demonstrated by researchers at the University
of Texas, raising concerns these vehicles could be commandeered by
terrorists or others with ill intent. Our hearing will examine DHS’s
role in the domestic use of unmanned aerial systems and determine the
extent to which the Department is prepared to ensure
oversight of domestic drones."

In written testimony provided to the committee by Association for
Unmanned Vehicle Systems International, association president and CEO
Michael Toscano said that the aircraft are employed helping search and
rescue teams find a lost child, giving researchers a new understanding
of hurricanes, and fighting wildfires, among other uses. He said the
applications of unmanned aircraft in the United States are "virtually
limitless. The incredible benefits of UAS aren't just theoretical,
however; the technology is already serving important homeland security
and safety functions here at home."
He cited several examples:

Congress questions domestic use of drones

file photo courtesy University of North DakotaUpdated with comments from Congressional testimony:
Members of Congress are asking questions this week about domestic use
of unmanned aircraft systems. Commonly known as drones, UAS are
currently prohibited in the national airspace except in cases where the
Federal Aviation Administration gives waivers for use by law
enforcement, government agencies or research universities.
The U.S. House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Oversight,
Investigations, and Management held a hearing Thursday to ask what role
the Department of Homeland Security will play in oversight and if the
agency is prepared for expanded use of unmanned aircraft.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection uses unmanned aircraft to patrol the northern and southern borders.
A growing number of law enforcement agencies are using small unmanned
aircraft. In our region the only law enforcement UAS program I'm aware
of is the Grand Forks County Sheriff's department.
Congress has ordered the FAA to integrate unmanned aircraft into the
national airspace by 2015. The agency is expected to announce
regulations for integration by the end of this year.
The chairman of the homeland security subcommittee, U.S. Rep. Michael
McCaul, R-Texas, notes that unmanned aerial systems are a boost to
military and border control operations, but their growing use concerns
many citizens.
"These systems are now being used in the United States by law
enforcement, government agencies and even academic institutions," McCaul
said in a statement. "Some Americans worry such systems will become
invasive 'eyes-in-the-sky'. Others say domestic drones will eventually
be armed. However, no Federal agency is taking responsibility for
creating comprehensive policies and regulations concerning the use of
these systems domestically.
"Additionally, vulnerabilities to 'drone' hackers exist, as recently
demonstrated by researchers at the University of Texas, raising concerns
these vehicles could be commandeered by terrorists or others with ill
intent. Our hearing will examine DHS's role in the domestic use of
unmanned aerial systems and determine the extent to which the Department
is prepared to ensure oversight of domestic drones."
Here's a link to the hearing webcast.
How unmanned aircraft are integrated into national airspace could have a big economic effect in Minnesota and North Dakota.
The University of North Dakota in Grand Forks and Northland Community
and Technical College in Thief River Falls are leaders in training
unmanned aircraft crews. The region is angling for one of six UAS test
sites to be chosen by the FAA. Those test sites will likely attract
aerospace businesses and investment.
The Air Force is also developing an unmanned aircraft mission at the
Grand Forks Air Force Base. The FAA recently approved restricted
airspace in North Dakota specifically for UAS training missions.
Subcommittee Chairman, U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas said the
Department of Homeland Security declined to appear before his
subcommittee.
Michael Toscano, President and CEO of the Association for Unmanned
Vehicle Systems International did not appear before the subcommittee but
submitted testimony pointing out the value of unmanned aircraft:
"U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CPB) currently uses UAS to
monitor the border to help interdict illicit trafficking. According to
the CPB's Office of Air and Marine, unmanned aircraft in 2011 assisted
with the seizure of thousands of pounds of narcotics and the
apprehension of dozens of individuals taking part in illegal
activities," Toscano wrote.
"UAS aided the response to the severe flooding of the Red River in
the upper Midwest in April 2011. According to the U.S. Customs and
Border Protections Office, which leant (sp) the UAS to the effort, the
UAS mapped more than 800 nautical miles along the flooded tributaries
and basins in Minnesota and North Dakota, and provided streaming video
and analysis of the areas affected by the flood such as levee integrity
and ice damming. The information provided by UAS gave forecasters more
accurate predictions of when and where the flooding would be at its
worst."
Then there was this testimony from Amie Stepanovich, Association
Litigation Counsel Electronic Privacy Information Center, who pointed
out the Department of Homeland Security has no privacy policy regarding
the use of UAS even though she testified;
"Drones may also carry infrared cameras, heat sensors, GPS, sensors
that detect movement, and automated license plate readers. Drones are
currently being developed that will carry facial recognition technology,
able to remotely identify individuals in parks, schools, and at
political gatherings."

TUSCON, Ariz. --
An aerial drone, zooming somewhere out of sight high above the cooling
scrubland, first spotted the group of nearly two dozen migrants.

Snaking through the Sonoran Desert on a warm, moonless
night last month, the would-be immigrants traversed the rugged foothills
southwest of Tucson, a few miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border.
It
had been a relatively quiet shift in that area for U.S. Border Patrol
agents, who paused to chat in their passing green-and-white SUVs as dusk
crept closer. But just after 10 p.m. agents perked up, their radios
crackling with activity.

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A
fixed-wing Cessna took over from the Predator B unmanned plane and from
overhead the pilot helped direct agents toward the migrants, who wove
around ocotillo and brush. A helicopter swooped in, its
spotlight beaming over the hillside and rotors slicing the desert
solitude as agents dropped down a ridge to chase the scattering group.
All
told, a dozen men and women in olive uniforms converged. They rounded
up eight of the migrants, walked them toward their gathered trucks and
lined them up in a shallow drainage ditch along a washboard dirt road. A
few of the migrants asked about the "camera in the sky" that had caught
them.
A pilotless aircraft may have awed the failed migrants,
but such success stories about U.S. Customs and Border Protection's
quarter-billion dollar drone program come in short supply, according to a
Homeland Security Department inspector general's report released Monday.
Grounded
by wind and bad weather, costly maintenance and poor planning, the
underachieving aircraft have flown only a fraction of the agency's
desired flight time from four bases in Arizona, Texas, Florida and North
Dakota, the inspector general found.
In Arizona, where the agency keeps four drones,
agents seemed pleasantly surprised that an unmanned craft had aided
their efforts, though they had apprehended fewer than half of the
detected migrants.
In its audit, however, the inspector general
recommended that the agency stop buying the drones, manufactured by
Poway-based General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, until officials can
properly plan how to get the most out of the unmanned planes and budget
for the program, which includes having enough equipment to perform their
mission.
"CBP has not adequately planned to fund unmanned
aircraft-related equipment," such as ground control stations, ground
support equipment, cameras and navigation systems, the inspector general
report says. "As a result of CBP's insufficient funding approach,
future UAS [unmanned aerial systems] missions may have to be curtailed."
Customs
and Border Protection officials said they concurred with the inspector
general's recommendations and were committed to continuing to improve
the drone program. In its written response to the inspector general's
report, the agency said it had no plans to add more drones beyond the 10
already in operation or on order "unless directed by a higher
authority."
The agency's previously stated goal was to expand to
24 drones, which cost about $18.5 million for the Predator B and $20.5
million for the maritime version, known as the Guardian, to operate.
Those costs include maintenance, surveillance technology and ground
equipment.
In the past year the agency has added two unmanned
aircraft to its underutilized fleet and expects to receive its 10th
system by September. The agency can still purchase up to 24 drones, but
authorization is based on the availability of funding.
Officials this year also hope to secure permission from the Federal Aviation Administration to extend drone coverage just east of the San Diego metropolitan area, the last major section of the Southwest border to be patrolled by the aircraft.
Drones
now patrol about 1,200 miles along the Southwest border from the Gulf
of Mexico to just east of El Centro in southeastern California and can
stay aloft for 20 hours.Championed by Congress, derided by critics
The
report echoes what critics including some Border Patrol agents have
long said about the expensive, remotely controlled Predator B fleet.
They
point to what they view as the program's meager returns since it began
in 2006, as the drones have assisted in the seizure of nearly 50,000
pounds of drugs and the detention of about 7,500 people.
By
comparison, decades-old P-3 Orion propeller planes, which once hunted
submarines for the Navy, in the past five years have aided in the
seizure or disruption of 863,000 pounds of drugs including 148,000
pounds of cocaine last year alone. Agency officials have described the
plane as an "unsung hero."
"It is my sense that Congress has
consistently overlooked (dare I say, 'ignored') not only the operational
effectiveness, but also the cost effectiveness of the Predator
[unmanned aerial vehicle] as a border surveillance tool," David Olive, a
Washington-based homeland security consultant, wrote last year for the Security Debrief blog.
Customs
and Border Protection officials have defended the drones, saying they
are also used to assist in disaster and emergency relief, such as
flooding, and other reconnaissance. The Office of Air and Marine also
has flown missions for other agencies, including the FBI, FEMA, the
Defense Department, Texas Rangers and the U.S. Forest Service.
Critics
like Olive have said that the drones haven't met expectations in other
situations, such as the Deepwater Horizon disaster in 2010, when the
on-scene commander waved off the drones after a couple of weeks because
they weren't helpful.
The inspector general also found that the
agency does not have agreements to get reimbursed for missions flown for
other agencies nor does it have a formal process to handle requests
from outside agencies or ways to prioritize such missions.
In
2011, the agency's Office of Air and Marine flew its drones more than
ever roughly 4,500 hours and 75 percent above any other fiscal year.
But
that flight time amounts to a quarter of the agency's goal. The systems
cost about $3,200 per hour to fly, for a total of about $14.5 million
last year alone.
The result: Unmanned aircraft last year helped
to find about 7,600 pounds of marijuana and apprehend 75 people
suspected of engaging in illicit activities, according to the agency.
Overall,
the U.S. Border Patrol, which is also part of Customs and Border
Protection, in 2011 seized more than 2.5 million pounds of marijuana and
apprehended 340,252 people, agency records show.
Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, who has championed drones as the Democratic co-chairman of the Congressional Unmanned Systems Caucus, said that Customs and Border Protection has to go back to the basics and come up with a sound strategic plan for its drones.
"The
first thing any agency should have is a strategic plan. I assumed they
had a plan," said Cuellar. "We have to know where we are going before we
start buying any more of the assets."
Yet, the program and
drones in general continue to receive wide-ranging support from
lawmakers. The unmanned systems caucus, which promotes "the overwhelming
value" of drones and "the urgent need to rapidly develop and deploy"
more of them, has nearly 60 members, including 11 California
representatives and the Republican chair of the House Intelligence Committee.
The House Homeland Security Appropriations subcommittee recently pushed for
an increase above the Homeland Security Department's request for $18.6
million to buy, deploy and operate sensors and other equipment used on
its existing drones.
The Senate Armed Services Committee,
meanwhile, has called for the broader use of unmanned aircraft in the
country's national airspace as large numbers of drones used in
Afghanistan and other operations may return to the United States as
those battles wind down.
"Without the ability to operate freely
and routinely in the [National Airspace System], UAS (unmanned aerial
system) development and training and ultimately operational
capabilities will be severely impacted," according to a recent committee report.Technologically advanced weather permitting
Touted
for their technological advances and airborne omniscience, the drones
require on average an hour of maintenance for every hour in the air, the
report states.
Between 2006 and 2011, the agency spent $55.3
million to operate and maintain the drones. Congress has only
appropriated $12.6 million for such costs, which include training,
satellite links, facility rental and contractor support, since the
agency's drone program began, according to the report.
Customs
and Border Protection figures show that Congress has appropriated $240.6
million to establish, operate and maintain the unmanned aircraft
program, which consists of 10 systems, and spent about $224 million.
Yet,
winds often keep the drones on the ground, as it happened in late May
when a reporter visited the Corpus Christi Naval Air Station, where two
such aircraft are based. Cuellar said in his two visits to the base
pilots could not launch or retrieve crafts because of weather
conditions. The Predator B design allows it to take off and land in
winds up to 30 miles per hour.
Cuellar said he plans to address
the issue next week during a House Homeland Security Subcommittee
meeting. He said he has pushed the agency to station the drones at other
places that provide more consistent flight conditions. But officials
have been "stubborn" about keeping the drones on military bases for
security reasons.
"That's almost insulting to say there's no
other place along the Texas border that can provide security for
[unmanned aircraft]," he said.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CPB) currently uses UAS to
monitor the border to help interdict illicit trafficking. According to
the CPB's Office of Air and Marine, unmanned aircraft in 2011 assisted
with the seizure of thousands of pounds of narcotics and the
apprehension of dozens of individuals taking part in illegal activities.

UAS aided the response to the severe flooding of the Red River
in the upper Midwest in April 2011. According to the U.S. Customs and
Border Protections Office, which lent the UAS to the effort, the UAS
mapped more than 800 nautical miles along the flooded tributaries and
basins in Minnesota and North Dakota, and provided streaming video and
analysis of the areas affected by the flood such as levee integrity and
ice damming. The information provided by UAS gave forecasters more
accurate predictions of when and where the flooding would be at its
worst.

In 2008, NASA assisted the state of California in fighting
wildfires with the use of Ikhana, a UAS equipped with advanced
technology. The information about the fires collected by Ikhana was
transmitted to command centers within minutes, and then distributed into
the field giving firefighters crucial situational awareness.

UAS were used to help search and rescue teams in the aftermath
of Hurricane Katrina. Scientists from the University of South Florida
worked with Florida rescuers in Mississippi, in what was the first known
use of small UAS for an actual disaster. Brought in to survey
Pearlington, MS, within two hours, the responders had the data from the
UAS showing that no survivors were trapped and that the flood waters
from the cresting Pearl River were not posing an additional threat.

Tuscano also acknowledged that there are safety concerns
associated with the use of the aircraft in the NAS. "As we further
integrate UAS into the U.S. airspace and recognize the corresponding
security and safety benefits, we are also mindful that UAS operations
and the technology itself must be as safe as possible," he said. "Safety
has always been a top priority for the industry, and we are already
working with a variety of stakeholders to ensure unmanned aircraft are
integrated safely into our nation’s airspace. The industry is in regular
contact with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and we have met
with, and continue to maintain an open dialogue with, representatives
from the pilot community, air traffic controllers and others with an
interest in aviation safety.
"Safety is also one of three main pillars of the industry’s new
Code of Conduct published earlier this month. We understand and take
very seriously the need to conduct UAS operations in safe manner that
mitigates risk and instills confidence in our systems. Specifically with
regard to safety, the guidelines recommend when and by whom UAS should
be flown, address training and crew fitness requirements, call for a
thorough risk assessment before each UAS flight and codify our
commitment to respecting other users of the airspace, the privacy of
individuals and the concerns of the public."

The committee also heard from the Electronic Privacy Information
Center (EPIC), which has been opposed to the domestic use of UAVs
because of privacy concerns. Amie Stepanovich, Association Litigation
Counsel for the group, told the committee that "drones present a unique
threat to privacy. Drones are designed to undertake constant, persistent
surveillance to a degree that former methods of surveillance were
unable to achieve. Drones are cheaper to buy, maintain, and operate than
helicopters, or other forms of aerial surveillance. Drone manufacturers
have recently announced new designs that would allow drones to operate
for more than 48 consecutive hours,11 and other technology could extend
the flight time of future drones out into weeks and months. Also, “by
virtue of their design, size, and how high they can fly, [drones] can
operate undetected in urban and rural environments.”
Sepanovich said that some of the primary concerns are the use of
UAVs by the Department of Homeland Security with the ability to "link
facial recognition capabilities ... to the Federal Bureau of
Investigation’s Next Generation Identification database or DHS’ IDENT
database, two of the largest collections of biometric data in the world,
exacerbates the privacy risks. Drones could be deployed to monitor
individuals in a way that was not possible previously."
She also cited a Customs and Border Protection IG's report that
pointed out problems with the planning associated with UAS programs and
training. She noted that the report said new UAV purchases should be
suspended until CBP develops a plan that addresses “necessary
operations, maintenance,and equipment.”
Regarding privacy concerns, the DHS Inspector General said that a
standardized process was needed to request CBP drones for non-­-CBP
purposes, in order to “provide transparency.”
The committee also heard from Mr. Todd E. Humphreys, Ph.D.,
Assistant Professor at the Cockrell School of Engineering in Texas,
along with representatives from the GAO and the Montgomery County, TX,
Sheriff's office

Fronteras Desk

The Department of Homeland Security has taken to the high skies for its latest high-tech border security program.
The Fronteras Desk reports
that it has retooled the unmanned aerial vehicle, commonly known as a
drone, an established military weapon. The drone has been turned into a
new civilian, eyes-in-the-sky border protection instrument.
The program is operated by the Office of Air and Marine, a division
of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the agency within the Homeland
Security Department responsible for securing the nation's borders.
Michael Kostelnik, a former Air Force Major General, is in charge of Air and Marine.
"Today we form the world's largest law enforcement air force," he said.
Kostelnik’s fleet has grown to 270 aircraft, including 10 drones with
bases at the U.S-Mexico border in Arizona and here in Corpus Christi,
on the Texas Gulf Coast about 150 miles southeast of San Antonio.
There's another operations center in South Florida and the northern border base is in North Dakota.
The border drones are Predator B models. They've been modified from
the standard military-issue types, which are armed with weapons and are
being currently used in the war in Afghanistan and in certain strikes in
Pakistan.
Instead of missiles, the civilian-styled border drones, which cost
$18 million apiece, carry powerful radars. They look like high-tech
gliders without cockpits.
In an interview, Kostelnik didn't stop raving about the ability the
drones have to scan large swaths of land from 20,000 feet up in the air
while still being able to zoom in so close that footprints can be seen
on the ground.
The drones are credited with leading to the arrests of more than
62,000 illegal immigrants, nearly 2,000 smugglers and more than 800,000
pounds of drugs, all in 2010, the latest available count.
The Corpus Christi operations center is on the second floor of an
airplane hangar inside the Naval Air Station. Two to three agents at a
time rotate shifts, their eyes constantly staring at various flat-screen
monitors on the wall -- indicating the drone's flight path, the live
images relayed from up above and Google Earth maps to corroborate "hot
spots," or known locations along the 350-mile Texas coastline and
1,250-mile Texas-Mexico border known for illegal activity.
"Alright guys, we're done with the test, let's go on the mission
profile," one of the agents spoke into the radio to the drone pilot and
co-pilot. The pilots are actually based outside in a trailer because
this naval base site was not originally set up to have a full-fledged
drone operations center.
The pilot and co-pilot, technically called the sensor operator, work
out of flight stations inside the trailer. They sit in pilot chairs and
have their own screens to monitor -- seeing the same relayed drone
images as their counterparts in the operations center next door. The
pilot operates the drone through a joystick.
Homeland Security requested that the agents remain unidentified, for their safety.
"Alright, if you want to step out and scan down to the river for a
while, our next target is 20 miles away," the dispatch agent instructed
the pilot after the drone flew along the Texas coast and made a sharp
western turn to scan the Rio Grande.
Suddenly, the pilot spotted something suspicious. Several people on the Mexican side of the Rio Grande jumped in the water.
"There’s something over there, I just saw something move across the road there," the pilot said.
It makes Border Patrol administrator Hector Black perk up. Adapting
to the increased use of drones as part of its work, the Border Patrol
recently assigned a full-time staffer to the operations center to act as
a liaison between the center, the flight station and the agents on the
ground.
"This is an invaluable tool," said Black, an 18-year veteran of the
agency who was previously assigned to Puerto Rico. "It allows us to see
from a different angle. It’s a lot better to see stuff from above than
on the ground, you can see it a lot easier. This is great for the guys
down there."
The pilot seeing unusual activity was case in point.
While on the ground it would have been harder and would have taken
more time to decipher what was going on, the drone images revealed
fairly quickly that the potential drug smugglers or illegal immigrants
were actually Mexican fishermen cooling off in the Rio Grande.
And the intelligence sharing works both ways. Black gets a call from
his colleagues out of the McAllen Border Patrol station, saying they
were tipped to a potential smuggling attempt further down river.
Immediately, Black relayed the information to drone agents sitting next
to him, who in turn coordinated with the pilot to check out the site.
Most of the time the work can get mundane if there's not a lot going
on. But Tom Mason likes the fact that at any moment, the monotony could
be broken with a big case.
"This is a really fun job," said Mason, who used to fly for the Navy.
"Some of the missions, some of the things you get to do, some of the
chases, some of the things you get to see. You get to take down either a
boat or an airplane with a bunch of stuff in it."
Yet despite its tremendous growth, the drone program may be going
into a holding pattern. A Homeland Security Inspector General report in
May cited it for poor planning and oversight. Drones could be flying
more than 10,000 hours a year, the report says, but so far they’ve been
put to use for only 4,000.
The agency said bad weather often plays a role, not allowing the
drones to take off or forcing them to land sooner than expected. But the
report said overall the program has been successful and will keep
improving through growing pains.
You can check out the second part of Fronteras' series on drones as they take to the water with Homeland Security.

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas -- The Department of Homeland Security has taken to the high skies for its latest high-tech border security program.
It has retooled the unmanned aerial vehicle,
commonly known as a drone, an established military weapon. The drone
has been turned into a new civilian, eyes-in-the-sky border protection
instrument.
The program is operated by the Office of Air and Marine, a division of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the agency within the Homeland Security Department responsible for securing the nation's borders.Michael Kostelnik, a former Air Force Major General, is in charge of Air and Marine.
"Today we form the world's largest law enforcement air force," he said.
Kostelnik’s fleet has grown to 270 aircraft, including 10 drones with
bases at the U.S-Mexico border in Arizona and here in Corpus Christi,
on the Texas Gulf Coast about 150 miles southeast of San Antonio.
There's another operations center in South Florida and the northern border base is in North Dakota.
The border drones are Predator B models. They've been modified from
the standard military-issue types, which are armed with weapons and are
being currently used in the war in Afghanistan and in certain strikes in
Pakistan.
Instead of missiles, the civilian-styled border drones, which cost
$18 million apiece, carry powerful radars. They look like high-tech
gliders without cockpits.
In an interview, Kostelnik didn't stop raving about the ability the
drones have to scan large swaths of land from 20,000 feet up in the air
while still being able to zoom in so close that footprints can be seen
on the ground.

The drones are credited with leading to the arrests of more than
62,000 illegal immigrants, nearly 2,000 smugglers and more than 800,000
pounds of drugs, all in 2010, the latest available count.
The Corpus Christi operations center is on the second floor of an airplane hangar inside the Naval Air Station.
Two to three agents at a time rotate shifts, their eyes constantly
staring at various flat-screen monitors on the wall -- indicating the
drone's flight path, the live images relayed from up above and Google
Earth maps to corroborate "hot spots," or known locations along the
350-mile Texas coastline and 1,250-mile Texas-Mexico border known for
illegal activity.
"Alright guys, we're done with the test, let's go on the mission
profile," one of the agents spoke into the radio to the drone pilot and
co-pilot. The pilots are actually based outside in a trailer because
this naval base site was not originally set up to have a full-fledged
drone operations center.
The pilot and co-pilot, technically called the sensor operator, work
out of flight stations inside the trailer. They sit in pilot chairs and
have their own screens to monitor -- seeing the same relayed drone
images as their counterparts in the operations center next door. The
pilot operates the drone through a joystick.
Homeland Security requested that the agents remain unidentified, for their safety.
"Alright, if you want to step out and scan down to the river for a
while, our next target is 20 miles away," the dispatch agent instructed
the pilot after the drone flew along the Texas coast and made a sharp
western turn to scan the Rio Grande.
Suddenly, the pilot spotted something suspicious. Several people on the Mexican side of the Rio Grande jumped in the water.
"There’s something over there, I just saw something move across the road there," the pilot said.
It makes Border Patrol administrator Hector Black perk up. Adapting
to the increased use of drones as part of its work, the Border Patrol
recently assigned a full-time staffer to the operations center to act as
a liaison between the center, the flight station and the agents on the
ground.

By Hernán Rozemberg

Drone agents during a recent live mission at the operations center in Corpus Christi, Texas.

"This is an invaluable tool," said Black, an 18-year veteran of the
agency who was previously assigned to Puerto Rico. "It allows us to see
from a different angle. It’s a lot better to see stuff from above than
on the ground, you can see it a lot easier. This is great for the guys
down there."
The pilot seeing unusual activity was case in point.
While on the ground it would have been harder and would have taken
more time to decipher what was going on, the drone images revealed
fairly quickly that the potential drug smugglers or illegal immigrants
were actually Mexican fishermen cooling off in the Rio Grande.
And the intelligence sharing works both ways. Black gets a call from
his colleagues out of the McAllen Border Patrol station, saying they
were tipped to a potential smuggling attempt further down river.
Immediately, Black relayed the information to drone agents sitting next
to him, who in turn coordinated with the pilot to check out the site.
Most of the time the work can get mundane if there's not a lot going
on. But Tom Mason likes the fact that at any moment, the monotony could
be broken with a big case.

Document

"This is a really fun job," said Mason, who used to fly for the Navy.
"Some of the missions, some of the things you get to do, some of the
chases, some of the things you get to see. You get to take down either a
boat or an airplane with a bunch of stuff in it."
Yet despite its tremendous growth, the drone program may be going
into a holding pattern. A Homeland Security Inspector General report in
May cited it for poor planning and oversight. Drones could be flying
more than 10,000 hours a year, the report says, but so far they’ve been
put to use for only 4,000.
The agency said bad weather often plays a role, not allowing the
drones to take off or forcing them to land sooner than expected. But the
report said overall the program has been successful and will keep
improving through growing pains.